At a time when the Middle East is preparing for a possible strike by Iran against it Israel, At the same time, efforts are being intensified for Israel and Hamas to reach a cease-fire agreement.

Possibly such a development could be the price for Tehran and thwart any plans for retaliation. Or at least, as CNN estimates, that version gained ground among regional leaders gathered for an emergency summit in Jeddah.

Since the assassination of the political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniya in Tehran last week, the leaders of the Islamic Republic have vowed revenge against Israel, which they hold responsible. Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility.

The effort to convince the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu softening his stance on the cease-fire negotiations with Hamas is not new. But the reward this time can be much more attractive than previous attempts.

The Secretary of State of the United States Anthony Blinken It said the US and its allies have communicated directly to both Israel and Iran that “no one should escalate this conflict”, adding that ceasefire negotiations have entered the “final stage” and could put at risk by further escalation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, Ayman Safadiwas in Tehran over the weekend and met with both Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri and Iran’s new president Massoud Pezhezkian, and seems to think Iran may be looking for an excuse to de-escalate.

Iran needs diplomatic cover to withdraw its threats against Israel over Haniya’s killing: a ceasefire in Gaza that would allow Tehran to claim it cares more about Palestinian lives in the enclave than revenge would be a way out of crisis de-escalation. But the payoff must be big enough for Iran, as its honor and power are at stake.

French President Emmanuel Macron added to the diplomatic efforts, saying in a phone call with Pezheskian on Wednesday that retaliation against Israel “must be abandoned.”

Pezeskian’s response suggests he is open to that prospect. “If America and Western countries really want to prevent war and insecurity in the region, to prove this claim, they should immediately stop selling weapons and supporting the Zionist regime and force that regime to stop genocide and the attacks on Gaza and to accept the ceasefire.” he said.

The problem for de-escalation to work with a cease-fire is that Netanyahu would first have to agree.

Hamas only made it more difficult by replacing Haniya with the more hard-line Yahya Shinuar, who is seen by Israel as the architect of the October 7 attacks.

Change, if it is to come, according to the emergency meeting of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation may be forced by the only person remotely influential with Netanyahu – US President Joe Biden.

But nearly a year after the conflict, Biden is refusing a showdown with Israel’s more hardline, right-wing government, which is also fueling frustration in Jeddah.

What Bagheri received in Jeddah was the kind of diplomatic support that will help Iran move away from de-escalation, analysts said. “As far as Iran was concerned it wanted respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty and there was a strong support for that sentiment.”

Pezeskian and Revolutionary Guards Disagreement

In a last ditch effort to de-escalate the crisis, a publication of the British Telegraph reports that the new Iranian president Massoud Pezeskian he is fighting hard-liners inside his country who are calling for an immediate and harsh response against Israel.

According to the same publication, the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is pushing for a missile attack on Tel Aviv and other cities targeting military installations.

But Pezheskian is instead pushing for Iran to hit undisclosed Mossad spy bases hidden around the region.
“He has proposed striking targets associated with Israel in the Republic of Azerbaijan or Iraqi Kurdistan and informing those countries before the strike,” the Telegraph reports.

But that view has run into stiff resistance from the Revolutionary Guards, as an IRGC official said no one in the organization, which is loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, thinks much of Pezeskian.

“The number one plan that is still being advanced is to hit Tel Aviv with Hezbollah and others at the same time,” the official says. “There was discussion within the force about how to thwart Pezeskian’s efforts.”